ABOUT

An international museum and cultural stakeholders’ conference enriched by satellite events, organized yearly at the Benaki Museum in Athens, Greece and at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. CoMuseum acts as a global platform of expertise for the wellbeing of cultural organizations and the communities they serve, fostering the production and exchange of ideas and the facilitation of networks between culture and arts professionals from all over the world. 

Founded in 2011 by one of the leading cultural organisations in Greece, the Benaki Museum, in collaboration with two prime stakeholders in culture and education, the U.S. Embassy in Athens and the British Council, CoMuseum is more than a conference.

Our aim is to unlock the collaborative spirit and boost the human capital of museums, cultural organisations and nonprofits as well as independent initiatives; to build capacity and trust, facilitate connections and synergies; to encourage the cross-fertilisation of ideas and practices, deal with contemporary challenges, and set a benchmark for building a shared culture-centred future worldwide.

CoMuseum encompasses plenary sessions, masterclasses, workshops and networking sessions and streams online since 2020, thus hundreds of international participants each year.

CoMuseum is the flagship programme of the British Council’ “Museums Revisited” program in the EU aiming to facilitate sustainable change, create international museum networks and provide contemporary responses to global challenges.

ORGANISING COMMITTEE

CONTENT CURATORS

Sophia Handaka
CoMuseum Co-Founder and Host, Curator of World Cultures, 
Benaki Museum

Maria Papaioannou
Head of Arts Greece & Regional Lead Museums Revisited, British Council

CONTENT ADVISOR

Lizzy Moriarty Museum Advisor, Museums Revisited, British Council

PRODUCTION

Dina Ntziora, Arts Coordinator, British Council 

Chrysoula Melidou, Project Coordinator, Cultural Engagement British Council

Iris Asimakopoulou, The CoMuseum Production Manager

 

ORGANISERS

BENAKI MUSEUM

The Benaki Museum is an innovative cultural institution, where the arts of Europe, the Islamic world, China, Africa and the Americas engage in dialogue with Greek culture and contemporary movements, across a network of seven museum buildings, four archival departments, an extensive library, seven conservation laboratories in Athens, Greece, and the Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor House in Kardamyli.

The Benaki Museum aims to preserve and make accessible as widely as possible its diverse collections through all available channels of communication and display; support research onto history, archaeology and the study of material culture, architecture, photography, visual and performing arts, and literature; educate and engage its audiences through permanent, temporary and travelling exhibitions, courses, programmes, events, publications and openly available resources; play an active role in fostering social cohesion, safeguarding world heritage and inspiring intercultural dialogue; and maintain a dynamic connection with ongoing cultural processes in Greece and beyond.

Βy systematically initiating, welcoming or supporting opportunities for working together and learning from each other, the Benaki Museum has evolved into a collaborative space where new ideas are produced and challenges affecting the global cultural ecosystem are collectively met.

For more information see benaki.org and our official social media profiles @TheBenakiMuseum at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest.

 
BRITISH COUNCIL

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. we do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with -changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body. In 2024 the British Council is marking its 85 anniversary in Greece. Join us in celebrating how cultural relations have transformed Greece, the UK and Europe, and become part of our mission to forge a better future through arts, education and English.

For more information visit our Arts Programmes page and the British Council Greece Facebook page.

COMMITTEE

THE COMUSEUM INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

 The CoMuseum International Advisory Committee is established to provide input, expertise and support for the CoMuseum’s main activities.

Dr Tom Fleming (UK and Portugal)
Director, TFCC | Expert on Creative and Cultural and Policy, Strategy and Insight.

Adam Rozan (U.S.)
Director of Audience Development, Audience Research, and Community Partnerships
Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Karalyn Monteil
Head of Emergency Operations and Programmes Unit, Culture and Emergencies Entity, UNESCO Culture Sector

Marlen Mouliou 
Assistant Professor of Museology, Department of History and Archaeology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens 

Alexandra Bounia
Professor, Department of Cultural Technology and Communication, University of the Aegean

We thank all members of our Committee for their invaluable support and time and we are excited to have them on board!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn or register to our CoMuseum newsletter to find out more about our arts work in Greece and the UK.